


The Perfect Christmas Gift

by dazebras



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Shopping, F/F, Gift Exchange, Gravity Falls Secret Santa, Human Bill Cipher, Jewish Character, Jewish Pines Family, Shopping Malls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2019-04-24 00:31:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14344176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dazebras/pseuds/dazebras
Summary: Mabel drags human!Bill to the mall to help her pick out her last minute gift for not-yet-girlfriend, Pacifica.





	The Perfect Christmas Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Athina_Blaine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athina_Blaine/gifts).



> Written as part of the 2015 Gravity Falls Secret Santa for athina-blaine on tumblr. Originally posted on my tumblr.

“So, Shooting Star,  remind me why I had to be here again?”  Bill sneered at the mall-goers shoving past them despite the fact that no one seemed to venture within a foot of him in any direction.  Mabel wasn’t sure if the last-minute shoppers could  sense his annoyance at the press of humanity or if he had cast a warding spell around himself, but she wasn’t going to ask.

“You know Grunkle Stan won’t let me go to the mall by myself.  Especially two days before Christmas.  And no one else wanted to come with me since it’s so crowded.”

“I didn’t exactly want to come either,” Bill grumbled.

Mabel beamed at him.  “Yeah, but you  _owed_ me.  After all, I helped you find a better Hanukkah gift for Dipper after he hated your first one.”

“Pine Tree told me it was a festival of lights.  How was I supposed to know he wouldn’t appreciate me setting his sheets on fire?” he whined.

Mabel giggled, long past the point of finding Bill’s antics terrifying—after all, the demon would never actually hurt her brother.  “He was really mad, wasn’t he?  Maybe it had something to do with him being in the bed at the time.”

Bill’s pout disappeared as a mischievous grin spread slowly across his face like oil on water, revealing a set of sharper than human teeth.  “Maybe.”

“Besides, Candy and Grenda are the only other ones who’d be any help picking out a Christmas gift for Pacifica, and they’re both visiting relatives until New Year’s.”

“So, what were you planning on getting Llama?”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Mabel admitted mournfully.  “But it has to be perfect!  I’ve never gotten anyone a Christmas gift before, and Pacifica…”

“Has more money than Stan has back hair?”

She gagged, sticking her tongue out and wrinkling her nose in disgust.  “Gross.”

“Well, let’s try over there,” the demon suggested, pointing at a store across the hall from them.  “That place looks kind of girly.”

“Oh, yeah!  Luxe has all kinds of fun makeup.  I bet we could find something in there for sure.”

As the two wandered the aisles, it became rapidly apparent to Mabel that her knowledge of makeup was sorely lacking.  Her mom had bought her a small pallet of eye shadow for her fourteenth birthday a few months before, but beyond the occasional flavored lip gloss, Mabel had never really bought any cosmetics.  The few times she and Pacifica had done makeovers at sleepovers Mabel had always been in charge of creating imaginative new outfits from Pacifica’s extensive wardrobe or parading the other girl around in the most recent additions to her sweater collection.  She had always held perfectly still while Pacifica painted her face in a ritual Mabel was still half convinced was some kind of sorcery.

She was just debating whether scented body lotion was too much of a  _grandmother_  gift when she heard Bill’s high-pitched cackling erupt around the corner of the aisle.  She found him holding what looked like a round pink and blue ball cradled gingerly between both hands.

“Oh, man, Shooting Star!  You meatsacks are too wild! You actually bathe with BOMBS?  It’s a wonder your species has survived this long!”

“Bill–”

“This is the most HILARIOUS thing I’ve seen in AGES!”

No matter how much they’d tried, the Pines twins had been unable to teach their demon companion volume control, and his display was now starting to catch the attention of the other customers.  So Mabel utilized the only tried and true method of interrupting one of Bill’s unbearably loud fits of hilarity—she tickled him.

“Ah! Body spasms!” he shouted, flinging the bath bomb in the air as Mabel attacked his sides.  It landed between his feet with a dull  _thunk_. Bill stared down at it for a moment before picking it up and tossing it in the air, catching it easily with one hand.  “Lucky for you this one’s a dud.”

“They aren’t actually bombs, you know.  They just make your bathwater turn pretty colors.”

“Well, that’s lame,” Bill said, putting it back.  “I can make you a better one if you want.”

“Thanks, but no thanks, Bilby. I don’t think Pacifica or anyone else would really appreciate that sort of gift.  Let’s just look someplace else.”

“Sure,” Bill agreed easily and offered her his arm for an escort.  “It smells funny in here anyway.”

They made their way through the mall, stopping occasionally to investigate a few of the less crowded store.  However, Mabel couldn’t seem to find anything that fit her idea of a Perfect Christmas Gift.  Everything that hadn’t been picked over by the other holiday shoppers was either too boring, too cheap, too fussy, or just plain wrong.  Even Perpetually Of Drinking Age, which was one of the few clothing stores Mabel and Pacifica both enjoyed, failed to yield anything worthy of gifting.

Eventually they reached the area near the food court where Santa’s Village was located.  Mabel lit up with wonder at the flashing lights and tinsel, the gaudy costumes of Santa and his elves, the fake snow that carpeted the tile floor.  Even Bill eyed the Christmas-themed carousel with excitement.

“Break time?” he asked.

“Break time.”

They raced to the carousel first.  Mabel hopped on a reindeer, while Bill chose to climb on the back of a gingerbread man.  He switched to a snowman inexplicably laying down like Superman in flight despite the protest of the ride operator after discovering once the ride started that his initial choice was one of the stationary seats.

Afterwards, Mabel made Bill wait in line with her to see Santa Claus.  It was something she’d always wanted to do just once, but her parents had always refused to take the time out of their shopping for a holiday that wasn’t theirs, and Dipper had never added his weight to the argument after he found out for certain that Santa was a fake.  Though the press of weary parents and snotty children obviously annoyed Bill, he seemed somewhat mollified by the candy cane offered by a bored looking elf.  

Once they finally reached the end of the line, both were disappointed to learn that Bill was not allowed to take photos of Mabel with Santa on his phone. Still, she waved him off to wait for her and took the seat next to the elderly Santa impersonator.

“And what can I do for you this year, my dear?  A new bike?  Or perhaps a video game?”  If he thought she looked a little too old to be visiting Santa at the mall, he had the grace not to mention it.  

“No, thank you. I don’t want any presents, just some advice.”

“Oh?  Well, I can’t say that’s a common request.  What seems to be you dilemma?”

She toyed with the hem of her sweater, which depicted a small red cabin nestled between hills of snow against a navy backdrop.  If there was anyone, she could ask about Christmas, it was Santa, right?  “See, I’ve never celebrated Christmas before.  But my friend who I maybe-sorta-kinda-have-a-great-big-crush-on invited me to her house to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve.  Which is tomorrow!  And I don’t know what to get her, but it has to be  _perfect_!”

Santa considered this for a moment, before saying sagely, “Most times it is not the gift that matters but the act of giving.”

“What on earth is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that your friend will likely be happy with any gift she gets from you.”

And with that, the elf in charged butted in to tell Mabel her time was up and usher her out the gate.  Almost as soon as she reached Bill, the intercom began to chime its final warning.

“Oh no!  We spent the whole rest of the day playing around, and now the mall is closing! And I still didn’t find a present for Paz!”

“What are you going to do, Shooting Star?”

“I don’t know.  I guess I’ll have to figure something out at home…”

* * *

Mabel showed up to the Northwest mansion with a single lumpy package containing a present she’d finally finished crafting earlier that afternoon.  She wasn’t pleased with it.  After all, homemade gifts were fine for little things, like birthdays, but for Christmas?  And what would Pacifica, who could buy whatever she wanted of the finest quality, think of her rushed effort?

Pacifica met her in the foyer, wearing an emerald knee-length velvet dress belted with a black sash instead of her usual casual wear.  Mabel felt her stomach flutter a little at the sight; although, that could have just been her nerves.  She held a small, neatly wrapped box in her hands.

“Sorry, I know you just got here, but do you want to do presents now?  I can’t wait until you open yours,” she gushed.

She and Mabel exchanged packages.  When compared to the shiny paper of Pacifica’s gift, Mabel thought maybe she could have added a few more bedazzled designs to the plain brown wrapping Stan had claimed was the only paper they had.

“Do you want to open them at the same time?”

“Nope,” Pacifica declined with a shake of her head that sent her luxurious blonde hair spilling attractively over one shoulder.  “I want to watch your face when you unwrap it.”

“O-okay,” Mabel agreed a little breathily.  She tore into the paper, careful not to create a mess right in the middle of the entry hall, and opened the box.  Inside were a pair of earrings shaped like firetrucks.  She couldn’t help but grin when poking one resulted in a small siren sound effect.  “Paz, they’re great!”

The other girl blushed lightly.  “I thought you could wear them whenever there’s an emergency.  Not, like, a real emergency.  One of your fun ones with the mysteries.”

“I’m gonna put them on now!”

Pacifica smiled fondly at the other girl’s excitement. “Wait, no, let me open my present first.”

Mabel felt her stomach flip again as Pacifica slipped her nail under the paper to loosen the tape without tearing the wrapping.  She slid the gift out and held it up so she could see it.  It was a red sweater with a Christmas tree stitched on the front. Mabel had sewn on sequins to mimic ornaments and somehow woven a strand of actual Christmas lights into the fabric.  An investigation of the hemline revealed a small pocket containing a battery pack and a switch so that the working lights could be turned on.

Pacifica stared at the gift wide-eyed for a moment.  “You made me a Mabel Sweater?”

Before Mabel could answer, Pacifica threw her arms around her shoulders for a crushing hug, still tightly gripping the sweater in one hand.

“This means you like it, right?”

“I love it.” Pacifica pulled back to look at her face, but she didn’t pull away. “No one’s ever made me anything like this before.  This is the best gift anyone’s ever gotten me. Thank you.”

And she pressed a small kiss to Mabel’s cheek.

 


End file.
